My DH and I went to a poultry exhibit over the weekend, which gave me plenty the perfect segway for discussing roosters (again)....because I'm still thinking I want one. While our area has no ordinances regarding chickens, my husband's main reservation about a rooster is the crowing and its potential effects on the neighbors (maybe the potential of being flogged, too, but he doesn't mention that part). Two out of four of our neighbors we know wouldn't care and have told us so. The other two, we just don't know. One of them probably wouldn't be an issue and we would ask before taking action. The other one is a....err....less than savory bunch who we generally don't speak with and are quite happy to keep it that way. So asking them, to me, is not really an option (nor do I care what they think, which isn't the greatest attitude, I know).

While at the exhibit, though my DH raised a good question, and I don't know the answer; can you successfully keep a bantam rooster with large fowl hens? They definitely have smaller crows, which he preferred (I rather like the big, loud-mouthed fellows, myself ), but would they be able to perform their other roosterly duties despite their diminutive statures?

I'm sure you can. If you can breed a LF male to a bantam hen, why couldn't you do it the other way around? My bantam rooster sure tries to mate my big girls, but I haven't seen him actually successfully do it. Maybe that's because I have a 0% tolerance for mating while I'm around. He gets a swift boot if he tries. I am head rooster.

I'm sure you can. If you can breed a LF male to a bantam hen, why couldn't you do it the other way around? My bantam rooster sure tries to mate my big girls, but I haven't seen him actually successfully do it. Maybe that's because I have a 0% tolerance for mating while I'm around. He gets a swift boot if he tries. I am head rooster.

All he wants is love, but all he can have is boot....sounds like a standard soap opera.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicken boy13

I have bantam roosters with standard hens and bantam hens with standard roosters no problems yet.

Good deal. I was just thinking that whomever was on the short side would be likely to end up getting picked on, but was hoping that the standard rooster attitude would make up for the lack of height.

I'm sure you can. If you can breed a LF male to a bantam hen, why couldn't you do it the other way around? My bantam rooster sure tries to mate my big girls, but I haven't seen him actually successfully do it. Maybe that's because I have a 0% tolerance for mating while I'm around. He gets a swift boot if he tries. I am head rooster.

All he wants is love, but all he can have is boot....sounds like a standard soap opera.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicken boy13

I have bantam roosters with standard hens and bantam hens with standard roosters no problems yet.

Good deal. I was just thinking that whomever was on the short side would be likely to end up getting picked on, but was hoping that the standard rooster attitude would make up for the lack of height.

He was trying to mate my cockerel this morning! I didn't stop that one!

I'm sure you can. If you can breed a LF male to a bantam hen, why couldn't you do it the other way around? My bantam rooster sure tries to mate my big girls, but I haven't seen him actually successfully do it. Maybe that's because I have a 0% tolerance for mating while I'm around. He gets a swift boot if he tries. I am head rooster.

All he wants is love, but all he can have is boot....sounds like a standard soap opera.

He was trying to mate my cockerel this morning! I didn't stop that one!

I have 5 bantam roosters and 12+ bantam hens and 1large foul rooster and 15+ large foul hens. For the most part lf rooster leaves the bantam hens alone but the bantam roosters that are a completely different story. They go after the big hens like mad, often to their own detriment. I have one modern game rooster who takes a proper kicking 3 or 4 times a day. And its not as if he can do anything, hes too small. Kinda looks like a person riding an ostrich. An oeg will even challenge my big rooster at times. This normally ends up with the big rooster ignoring his littler rival but sometimes ends with some foot therapy being administer to the latters behind. A Buff Brahma bantam rooters did manage to mate with an large foul araucana hen so now I have two buff brahmacana. All in all everyone gets along
Oh and as far as crowing gos my oeg bantam is now the loudist of all, come to think of it he's one of the loudist roosters I have ever had! Also have oeg bantam hen who crows every morning.

not all bantam roosters have small crows and some (many?) of them can have quite the Napoleon complex. Other than that, they have no problems being in with the big girls. They might be a little more creative in their mating attempts, but they get that done as well.

aoxa, why the hatin' on the matin'? not sure I understand the point of having the roos if you are going to punish them for doing their duties. Sounds like a good way to bring out an aggressive streak

not all bantam roosters have small crows and some (many?) of them can have quite the Napoleon complex. Other than that, they have no problems being in with the big girls. They might be a little more creative in their mating attempts, but they get that done as well.

aoxa, why the hatin' on the matin'? not sure I understand the point of having the roos if you are going to punish them for doing their duties. Sounds like a good way to bring out an aggressive streak

I don't let them mate in front of me because I want my roosters to respect my presence. Those are my girls first. If I am not around, then mate all they want. I don't have a flogging rooster either. Both are gentle and human friendly.

Read this:

Now that you're King...
There's a few things you need to do as the birds grow. These things will assert your dominance and remind ALL the birds who's the boss...
1.) As soon as you can tell the Roosters from the Hens, you've got to single them out. If you take feed or treats to your birds, never let the roosters come to the feed first. Start with a nasty look, then a nudge, then a swat, then a slap. Whatever it takes. If it's got to escalate to a boot to get the point across, so be it. A rooster won't let other roosters come to the feed until his hens do. Don't you do it, either. A good King is a kind and merciful King. Once the hens have begun eating, relent. Stay close by, but relax your posture and allow the Roosters to the food.
All it takes to keep the Roosters at bay is VIGILANCE. You need to take this approach EVERY TIME YOU FEED. It only takes a few minutes, and it will pay major dividends down the road.
2.) Never let a rooster assert his dominance in your presence. That means to you or any other bird. If a rooster grabs another rooster by the butt while you're around, swat him. If you can't get a swat in, chase him. Corner him if you can. Scare him. Deliver the message that only YOU take those liberties with the flock.
3.) Never let a rooster mate one of YOUR hens in your presence. Remember, whether you are a boy or a girl, man or woman, you are the Alpha Male in this picture. If a rooster pins a hen in your close proximity, knock him off of her. If it's happening a distance away, take a run at him. If he sees you coming and persists, you need to get to him and give chase. If you've been consitant over his lifespan, he'll get off the hen as soon as you act like you're coming after him.
4.) Don't hunker. Don't crouch. Don't try to "talk in" a bird who's scared of you. Coochy-coo smootchy is not the way to gather up a rooster, ever. A rooster should NEVER want to approach you or touch you. He SHOULD be at ease with your presence. If you want to pick him up, then pick him up. Love him all you want once you've got him. Pat him on the butt when you sit him down.
Don't ever assume a submissive posture with him, or he might just take your eyes out when you're expecting it least.
5.) Handle your roosters!!! Gather them up, preen them, fuss over them. Make them know that you are not going to hurt them, you're just having your way with them. This reinforces their submission splendidly, and strengthens your bond with your birds.
The rooster has no idea that you are in love with him. All he knows is that you've got him, and you're not going to hurt him. That's good enough for him.
6.) If you even get a moment's sense that a rooster is getting too comfortable around you, take a swipe at him. It may seem like senseless aggression. To you it is. To a rooster, it's life. It's what he understands. A swipe is vigilance, a swipe is reinforcement, a swipe is consistancy.